Number of traffic deaths up slightly in 2001

Associated Press

Published Thursday, June 27, 2002

TALLAHASSEE -- The number of traffic deaths on Florida roads increased slightly last year, but with 1.5 million more cars on the road than the previous year, the odds of dying in a crash actually went down.

The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said Wednesday that the number of traffic deaths increased from 2,999 in 2000 to 3,013 last year.

Officials estimate that people drove 1.9 billion more miles on the state's roads in 2001 than in 2000, making the rate of deaths per miles driven the lowest in more than 10 years.